,,#,#,#,## #,#,###,,#
,##,#,#,,# #,#,,##,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# winds esker #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## there was this place that for two years #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# i couldn't go to. regardless how much #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## discussed with others, or pointed out #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# on maps, i could not think of it when #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## alone. i would often travel past the #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# fork, where a right turn would surely #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## take me there, but even then, something #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# kept me away. #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# when i finally got there, after some #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## heavy subconscious battle i must #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# assume, the place was surreal. an #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## esker, like a needle-thin rift out in #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# the lake, but ten meters high and #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## adorned in birch, willow, bracken, and #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# blueberries. #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# walking atop that spine, i came to #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## notice the view to either side. there #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# should be shores, of course, but i #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## didn't recognize them. first off, they #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# were much too close, as the lake should #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## stretch for a hundred meters more on #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# both sides. but now i felt i could #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## almost reach out and touch them. and #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# then, when i realized which shores they #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## were, i had to stop. #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## they were of the right lake. but this #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# lake is large, fractured, and #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## bipartite. like a pair of lungs carved #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# into the granite, and with no less than #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## five communities anchored at various #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# points. and so, studying these #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## impossibly close shores, i slowly #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# understood them as belonging many miles #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## away. #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## i examined the ridge, the treeline #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# above. was this what you saw opposite, #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## from those other shores? i couldn't #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# remember. #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# carrying forward, on the very tip of #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## the esker, i found the ruins of some #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# old building. there were overgrown #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## marble staircases, stone floors beneath #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# the moss, and strange slabs inserted #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## into the slope like dams against the #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# ground itself. #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# sitting there, i could see across the #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## narrowed lake my entire path to where i #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# sat: from the stairwell of my house, #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## through the old woods behind the tile #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# factory, the bridge over route #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## twenty three and then back under it, #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# through the fancy villas, over the #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## fields, and then that right turn at the #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# fork. #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# and then the stairs up on the ridge. #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## thinking back, this was probably it. #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# hidden in a grove, there were stairs #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## much like the ones i currently sat on, #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# old and worn down, that lead you up #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## onto the esker. the point of entry. had #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# i insted opted to walk the path at its #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## foot, i'm sure my experience would've #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# been different indeed. #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# on the lake, there were people in #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## boats. i wondered, could they even see #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# me? if i shouted, would they turn to #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## stare right through me? #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# #,#,#,#,##